Class News 12/11

* Please be sure to return your Christmas Show ticket sheets as soon as possible.

* First graders will be wearing Christmas dress clothes for the Christmas Show on 12/ 18. We ask that the children do not wear jeans or sneakers. Please keep in mind that we will be standing on risers when picking out shoes.

* There is no school on Monday, 12/ 14. It is a Professional Day for teachers.

* Advent Angels projects are due on Wednesday, 12/16.

* Our class Christmas party will be on the morning of 12/23. Thank you very much to Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Black for coordinating it for us. Your donations are appreciated!

* First graders will resume spelling quizzes in 2010! :)

* The first graders will be going out to recess on days when the temperature reaches 32 degrees. Please be sure that all winter gear is labeled with your child's name!

Memo for SBS Parents

Hello SBS Families,

One more request pertaining to this year's Christmas Shows.... Our Christmas Show directors are also asking if anyone is able to donate or loan greenery to decorate the stage for both shows. If you are able to donate or LOAN some greenery, please contact the office at 508-351-9905. If several people loan or donate a couple plants each, we can really dress up the stage. Your plants will be well looked after if they are on loan. ;)

At least a couple people are still needed to take on stage decoration and costumes, in particular. Any help will be welcomed.

Parent(s) to help with stage decoration: Lights, greenery, and scenery placement - this wouldn't require attending rehearsals but rather coming in to school a few times to get this sorted out - reviewing the space, what supplies are needed, placement of decorations, installation of items, etc.

Parent(s) to help with the costumes both during a rehearsal or two and the nights of the perfomances. Fitting/dressing performers and keeping all that straight.


REHEARSALS:


Grades 1-4:
Tuesday, December 15th, 9:00 to 10:30

Wednesday, December 16th, 1:40 to 2:30
Friday, December 18th, 1:30 to 2:30


Grades 5-8:
Tuesday, December 15th, 12:30 to 2:00

Wednesday, December 16th, 12:30 to 1:30
Thursday, December 17th, 12:30 to 1:30

Again, if you are interested in helping, please contact Jane Phayre

Reading Rockets: 2009 Books as Gifts Buying Guide

Books as Gifts 2009 Buying Guide- from Reading Rockets

What is often remembered long after they've been used, are often passed on from one generation to the next, and can create connections between people far and near? Books, of course! They make readers weep and laugh, learn and question, introduce ideas and deepen them.

They are gifts that last and are just right for any occasion. They are truly the gift that keeps on giving. So give a book, share a book, and enjoy a book with the children in your lives. Happy Holidays from Reading Rockets!

Click on the link below to see suggestions by age groups:
http://www.readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/buyingguide/2009-Holiday-Buying-Guide_All-Ages.pdf

Make a Smilebox greeting

A Little Bit of This and That!

-We had 17 out of 19 kids in school today! Yahoo! The children enjoyed seeing their pals and were so excited to welcome everyone back today.

-Just a reminder that tomorrow we will have our memory word review quiz which was postponed from last week.

-Tomorrow is Native American day in first grade! The children may dress as Pilgrims or Native Americans if they wish to. Thank you for your donations and volunteering to make this special event great!

-Thanksgiving Mass will be at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. As always, families are invited to join us.

I hope that you all have a memorable Thanksgiving with your families and friends. I am blessed to be teaching such a wonderful class this school year! I have lots to be thankful for!

_

Dress Down Day, 11/19

A Dress Down Day was announced at dismissal time this afternoon. Mrs. Morin and
Mrs. O'Neil would like to say Thank You to the children for working to make the Magazine Drive a success!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

*I have decided to postpone the spelling review quiz this week. I have 8 children out today and have had to rethink my lesson plans for the week. I will post the new date as soon as possible.

*On another note, if you need to reschedule your conference due to illness at home, please email and I will make time to meet with you as soon as possible.

*We will be celebrating next week! On Tuesday the first grade will have Native American Day. The children may dress as Pilgrims or Native Americans for the day on Tuesday, November 24th.

I thought I would share this wonderful link about the voyage of the Mayflower. The class really enjoyed the slideshows and learning about the pilgrims,their voyage to America, and the first Thanksgiving.


http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/index.htm

Health Update 1C

The scent of Lysol fills the air as I type this update! We have 7 children who are out today in our classroom! We have been washing, using hand sanitizer, washing desks, and I have "Lysoled" when the class is out of the room.

I want to remind you of a few key points that will be helpful. I ask that all children please bring water from home to drink. They need to stay hydrated and I would rather that they do not use the water fountain.

Please reinforce coughing into the inside elbow at all times. I have been reinforcing this in class as well.

I appreciate the generous donations of hand sanitizer. If you would like to send one in it would be wonderful. We have a few tissue and sanitizer stations in the room. I do have plenty of tissues. Thank you very much for your generosity.

If I continue to have this level of absenteeism I will cancel the spelling quiz and rethink homework. Tune in tomorrow! ;)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

GAME BREAK Tomorrow, 11/13!

GAME BREAK TOMORROW!

The class has been working hard and have earned a reward. Tomorrow we will celebrate with a GAME BREAK! Each child may bring in board game, puzzle, or non-electronic game to share tomorrow afternoon! This is such a fun chance to play, practice manners, and taking turns...plus some laughs! :)

SUPERKIDS Units 3 and 4 Wrap Up

Dear 1C Families,
In Units 3 and 4 of Adventures of the Superkids, your child learned to read and spell
words that end with the same letters and sounds as song, little, and finger. We also learned about words with the ending -ed that tell about past actions.

In the Reader, we read two stories about characters who each had a sticky problem.
Ask your child to tell you about the problems and how they were solved in “Fiddlesticks”and “In a Pickle.” We also read two funny poems about the Superkids’ dog, Golly. Ask your child what Golly was up to in those poems.

As you look through the Student Book for Units 3 and 4, try some of these activities
with your child:
• Have your child sing the Superkids’ silly song on page 2 and “Lily’s Little Song” on page 14. Then make up a silly song together with lots of words that end with ng,
such as ding and ling, or with le, such as pickle, tickle, wiggle, and giggle.
• Read the words on page 13 aloud with your child several times. Try to read the
words faster and more smoothly each time.
• Have your child read aloud the poem he wrote on page 12 and Golly’s poem on
page 25. Discuss the pattern of repeating or rhyming words in the poems.
• Ask your child to look at pages 6–7 and tell you the story the Superkids made up
while playing the Fiddlesticks game.
• Play a Fiddlesticks game, like the Superkids did. Hold a fiddlestick—any stick or
ruler will do—and begin telling a story. Then pass the fiddlestick to your child and
have him tell the next part of the story. Continue passing the fiddlestick back and
forth as you take turns adding to the story.

Saint Paper Due Tomorrow, October 27th!

Please be sure that your child brings their completed saint information sheet and a picture of their saint. We will need this for a special project this week!

The Latest Buzz From Mrs. Dufault

Hello 1C Parents and Families,

The children are well into their curriculum and are quickly proving that they are super first graders. We have spent a great deal of time working on classroom procedures, manners, organization, and just basic adjustment to life in first grade. I am looking forward to discussing your child's individual progress when we meet at this time next month for Parent/ Teacher Conferences.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Black, our class Homeroom parents. We discussed some plans for the school year. Thank you for taking time to complete the survey about volunteering. It was so wonderful to see that many parents are interested in helping in some way this school year. Our homeroom parents are working to give parents opportunities to have a chance to help. Our first big event is our Pumpkin Day which will be on Oct. 29th. Please contact a HR Parent if you are interested in helping in class or donating a pumpkin for the activities.

Curriculum Update
SUPERKIDS: We are about to start Unit 4 in the program. In addition to reading and listening to stories we will be working on the following skills and concepts: ng, le, ed endings, er endings and using un as a prefix. We will be focusing on plot, sequencing, problem/solution, patterned poems, writing activities using our senses, reading with natural phrasing, nouns and verbs, and oral comprehension.

In addition to handwriting and spelling practice we will start Writer's Workshop! The children will be writing their first stories about a magical pumpkin seed. We will brainstorm, draft, edit, and publish our stories. This process will be great preparation for the years to come!

Math- In math we are working on doubles addition facts with sums to 18, story problems, attributes of pattern blocks, angles and sides or shapes, using a balance scale, finding patterns to problem solve, ordering numbers, estimating and measuring using standard and nonstandard units.

Religion- The students have been assigned an All Saint's Day project which is due on October 27, 2009. Please be sure to send in a picture of your child's saint along with their completed information sheet. If you should have any trouble finding a picture please let me know and I would be glad to help you find one. We will be making a wonderful project to celebrate our saints for the All Saint's Day parade following the Mass on October 30th at 10:00 AM!

In class our units of study focus on Jesus as a member of a family, The Holy Family, and Jesus worked among the people, teaching us to Love God, Love Others, and Love Ourselves. Key words are: Christmas, Holy Family, and Trust.

Social Studies and Science- We are learning all about habitats, basic needs of people and animals, needs vs. wants, fire safety, and changes in neighborhoods over time. The class is very excited about our habitats work. We will be picking a specific habitat and making a project in early November. Be on the lookout for more information soon.

In addition to regular classwork the children have enjoyed learning centers. Hands on activities are a big hit in first grade. We have been completing science centers, stamping words, creating books, and completing art projects. Ask you child about the centers that they have enjoyed so far!


Classroom Wish List: Donations for the following would be appreciated! Coffee filters (the pleated edge type- white), basic brown clipboards (8), basic thin white paper plates small and dinner size, food coloring (yellow, red, blue, green) and basic brown lunch bags. If you wish to donate any of these items please email me or comment below with your name and item you'd like to donate! Thank you!

Celebrate Good Kids...Come On!

Ok, I know it is corny ....but I just had to say it! The class has made a wonderful transition to first grade. The first six or so weeks have been focused on establishing routines, becoming familiar with rules and expectations in addition to the academics. The practice, practice, practice has paid off for sure!

Our class reward system includes my secret message to the class. When the class displays great teamwork and hard work I reward them with adding a letter to the secret message. Once the message is spelled out in its entirety, the children are rewarded! Tomorrow afternoon the class will be treated to watching "Spookley the Square Pumpkin"! They are so excited and proud of their accomplishment. Click on the link below to find out more about Spookley and the message of the story.

www.spookley.com

Superkids Units 1 and 2 Summary

Dear Families,
Your child will be completing Units 1 and 2 of Adventures
of the Superkids reading program this week. In our first Student Book,
we learned the sounds for the letters sh, ch, tch, th, and wh
and practiced reading and spelling words such as shop,
chin, catch, think, and whip. Ask your child how we
revealed hidden pictures to go with the words in
the Student Book.

We also read stories about the Superkids in our
Adventures of the Superkids Reader. Ask your child
about Sal’s embarrassing problem in “A Patch in a Pinch”
and Oswald’sunusual pet in “What a Pet!”
Ask how Frits used a nickel to solve his problem.
As you look through the Student Book for Units 1–2,
try some of these activities with
your child:

• Have your child read aloud the words on pages 2, 4, 5 and 18.
Together, see if you can think of other words that begin
or end with sh, ch, tch, or th.

• Turn to page 13 and ask your child about the different meanings
we learned for the word patch.
Have your child tell how patch was used
in three of the Reader stories we read.

• Ask your child to read aloud the jump rope jingle
on page 16. If your child stumbles on a word, pause before
you give help so that your child can try to figure out
the word on her own.

• Talk about the sentence your child wrote at the bottom
of page 16. Talk about other wishes you or
your child might have and together write a family wish list.

Learning to read is tough, but support and practice
at home can make a big difference in helping your
child develop as a reader!

An Apple for Friday!

On Friday we will celebrate Johnny Appleseed's Birthday! Please send in a green apple for our apple tasting activity! Thank you!

Dress Down Day 9/24/09

Thursday will be a dress down day for students. If you wish to participate please send in a dollar on Thursday. The money collected will be donated to the Mercy Center and Bay Path Animal Hospital.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Latest Buzz from Mrs. Dufault

It was a pleasure to meet many parents at Open House last week. If you have not already done so please contact me to set up an appointment during our Parent/ Teacher Conference Days on November 19th and 20th. Plenty of times are available.

Curriculum News: This week we are marking the first day of Fall and Johnny Appleseed's Birthday! On Friday we will be having special apple activities in the first grade classrooms. We will also be watching a short animated video clip on the Smartboard.

SUPERKIDS News: The children have been well prepared for their first two weekly spelling quizzes. Thank you for your help at home. Each day we practice our words and we are so proud to show what we know! In Units 1 and 2 the children will be working with the sounds of /sh/ /ch/ /th/ and /wh/ . In addition to phonics skills we are learning about pronouns, punctuation, comprehension, cause and effect, and synonyms. In first grade the class will be learning to read and spell memory words with each unit. The memory words can be tricky as they are not usually spelled as how they sound. By practicing these words and seeing them in context the children will have them mastered in no time at all.

Math News: During the first 6 weeks of school we spend a great deal of time reviewing concepts. We will be practicing number formation, ordering numbers, making and understanding simple graphs, left and right, ordering from least to greatest and the reverse, sorting and collecting data, problem solving, and some basic geometry skills. In addition to our Saxon math program the children will have the opportunity to work with math center games and challenge fun problems.

Religion News: The first graders will be going to daily Mass each Tuesday. If there is a whole school Mass scheduled for another day during the week we will be attending that one instead of the Tuesday morning Mass. Our first chapter is God Is Our Father. The children will be learning about taking care of God's gifts, God's promise to us, and the Holy Trinity.

Social Studies News: The children will be working with our Nystrom Social Studies program this year in first grade. This wonderful program incorporates hands on learning with maps, globes, and atlases. Topics for the first unit include Looking at our neighborhoods: our class, our school, our families, kinds of neighborhoods. We will also learn about basic needs, needs and wants, and rules. In addition to the Nystrom program we will be learning about and observing important national holidays.

Science News: Our first units will be out living and nonliving things, animals and their habitats, and autumn. We will be enjoying many science related stories and projects in the coming weeks.

Our school is very fortunate to be a part of the Discovery Education Streaming Programing. We often use the Smartboards to play video clips from this website to help us further our learning of the curriculum. Please take a look at discoveryeducation.net to see the many, many great resources that we will be using this year. In addition, we will be accessing brainpopjr.com on our Smartboards this year to enrich our learning. When these resources are incorporated in our teaching practices we often find that the children benefit greatly. Please contact me with any compliments, concerns, or questions.

Super Spelling Words- Quiz on 9/25/09

who what when where why which

Super Spelling Words- Quiz on 9/11/09

I, she, he, my, her, his, fish, dish, much, patch

Supplies

Our class is in need of gluesticks! If each family could please send in a few for our class to share it would be helpful. Thanks in advance for your donations! ;)

Let's Go, RED SOX!

Students may wear a Red Sox shirt (or other favorite team) with their uniform pants/ jumper on Monday! Please send in one dollar to dress down. This is a fundraiser for the Mercy Center!

We will be celebrating opening day at Fenway Park with some fun activities.

There will not be a spelling list this week!

Spring Pictures 4/2

Our Spring Pictures have been scheduled for this Thursday, April 2nd. Students may dress out of uniform in dress clothes. Pictures will be taken of each child, unless parents notify the office. The children will bring home a packet of pictures for you to view and purchase if you wish. Please watch the Friday Family Envelope for more information in the coming weeks.

New Life

DM, one of my first grade Busy Bees recently brought in a chrysallis that he discovered at home! Well, to be honest the critter's future looked bleak. Little did we know that Mother Nature was busy at work inside! News has spread that Wooly, who was born on March 28th was ready to take flight! DM and his family released Wooly on Sunday. Thanks for sharing this little miracle with all of us!

Wooly takes flight- March 29, 2009

Super Spelling

Week of March 30, 2009


joke

joking
slide

sliding
make

making
rake

raking
about

before
over

some
**Massachusetts

Super Spelling Words

Week of March 23, 2009

Super Spelling Words
come
plane
smile
time
while
kites
white
hope
passing
planning
waving
smiling


**because

Super Spelling Weel of 3/16/09

past
paste
pal
pale
tub
tube
hop
hope
rid
ride

**leprechaun

Super Spelling Words

Week of February 23, 2009

came
made
name
bake
plane
lane
wave
game
same
gave

*BONUS*

Ash Wednesday

SPELLING!

This week we will focus on spelling review. We are finishing up Units 7 and 8 in SUPERKIDS. We are reviewing double consonant words, -ed endings, -ing endings, -aw, -all, and all memory words thus far. There will not be a spelling list nor a quiz this week.

I am also in the process of getting in caught up with some classroom paperwork. Please be on the lookout for lots of papers coming home later this week! Thank you for your understanding.

JUST A FEW NOTES from Mrs. Dufault

Thursday, Feb. 12th is the 100th Day of School! We will be making a HUNDREDS MUSEUM! I would like for each child to bring in a collection of 100 of something for the museum. Please be sure that your child’s collection can fit in an adult sized shoe box. Please be sure to send in your collection for Thursday, 2/12. Any questions? Please email me at g1c@stb-school.org.

Friday, February 13th- We will be having our class Valentine’s Day Party. Please refer to the note from our Health Office regarding treats and goodies that the children may be passing out. Our Homeroom Parents are coordinating our snack. I will be posting a list of the treats (on our blog) that will be served.

February 13th is also PAJAMA DAY in 1C!!! Our class has earned a class reward for good behavior. The children may wear warm pajamas to school on 2/13. They may bring slippers to wear in their backpacks. (A cuddly pal may be brought in as well!)

Super Spelling

Week of February 2, 2009


heart

friend
candy

card
love

joy
red

happy
pink

family

*BONUS*

Valentine’s Day

Game Break Scrapbook

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Curriculum Update

Our class is finishing up Unit 6 of the Superkids program this week. We will be working on the following skills in the next unit:story setting, sequencing, following directions, synonyms, antonyms, using context clues, reading with expression, captions, and opinion sentences. Our phonics focus will be on the sounds of aw and all. We will also be reviewing the reading and spelling all of the Memory Words thus far. (Please see the complete list on the right.)

In addition to our stories and classwork we will be reading winter stories, learning about Martin Luther King, Jr, and Groundhog Day stories. In our classroom centers we have the opportunity to make mini books for reading practice and writing about our wishes.

We have been working in small groups focusing on reading aloud, oral comprehension, phonics review, writing response activities, and some reading challenges.

Spelling Words

Week of January 12, 2009

sitting
want
getting
they
dipping
there
helping
from
flipping
come

Christmas Show Rescheduled for Friday, 1/9/09

Students Arrive: 6:30 pm
Show Starts: 7:00 pm

TOPS: Please dress your child in either a solid colored, long sleeved green or red top.
BOTTOMS: First graders will be wearing dark colored pants or skirts.
(School uniform pants are fine if you wish.)

SHOES: Children will be wearing school shoes or other dark colored shoes.
**We ask that the children do not wear sneakers or jeans. **

Super Spelling Words

Week of January 5, 2009

winter

cold
snow

sled
snowy

frost
snowing

ski
ice

skate


*BONUS* January